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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · ball · temple · coach · hide · degree · plane · bark

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bark — to shout
  3. plane — a tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ball — a dance
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — from a university
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com